Noticed More Chinese and Indian People in Tri-Cities? There’s a Reason for That!
It's particularly true of Richland, but I notice it everywhere I go in Tri-Cities: there are a lot more people from China and India here than before. I found out the reason and it will surprise you:
According to recent immigration statistics, fewer people from Mexico and South America are "coming to America." They've been replaced by college-age students coming from China and couples in their late-20s, early 30s from India.
The theory is the students want to attend universities in America, or at least pretend to in order to immigrate here. College graduates are coming from India to work in the tech industry and in other science and engineering fields.
This makes sense for Tri-Cities since Hanford, PNNL, WSU Tri-Cities, the wine industry, and the ag industry are all huge draws.
So now you know! Tri-Cities is becoming a real melting pot!